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Prime Focus P S Full Moon a Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Highlights of the February Sky. -- -- -- 1st -- -- -- PM: Saturn upper right, Regulus below Moon. Prime Focus P s Full Moon A Publication of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society -- -- -- 2nd -- -- -- PM: Regulus above Moon. February 2007 -- -- -- 4th -- -- -- Dusk: Mercury 6º lowerlower right of Venus next 3 eve- nings. ThisThis MonthsMonths KAS EventsEvents -- -- -- 6thth -- -- -- Dusk: Uranus 1º aboveabove Venus. Venus. General Meeting: Friday, February 2 @ 7:00 pm th -- -- -- 7th -- -- -- Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center - See Page 2 for Details Dusk: Mercury at greatest elongation; visible low in west. Board Meeting: Sunday, February 11 @ 5:00 pm -- -- -- 8th -- -- -- Sunnyside Church - 2800 Gull Road - All Members Welcome AM: Spica upper right of AM: Spica upper right of Moon. Observing Session: Saturday, February 17 @ 7:00 pm th -- -- -- 10th -- -- -- February Freeze Out - Kalamazoo Nature Center - See Page 13 Saturn at opposition. Last Quarter Moon -- -- -- 11thth -- -- -- AM: Antares lower left of Moon. InsideInside thethe Newsletter.Newsletter. .. .. -- -- -- 12thth -- -- -- General Meeting Preview..................... p. 2 AM: Jupiter upper left, Antares upper right of January Meeting Minutes...................... p. 3 Moon. Board Meeting Minutes......................... p. 4 -- -- -- 14thth -- -- -- Dawn: Mars left of Moon. Twelve Commandments....................... p. 4 Observations........................................... p. 5 -- -- -- 17thth -- -- -- New Moon. Great Comet of 2007............................ p. 6 -- -- -- 19thth -- -- -- The Owl Observatory Project............p. 7 Dusk: Venus below Moon. Spitzer Peeks at the Pillars................... p. 9 -- -- -- 23rd -- -- -- NASA Space Place.................................. p. 10 PM: Pleiades below Moon Star Parties in 2007................................p. 11 -- -- -- 24thth -- -- -- First Quarter Moon February Night Sky................................ p. 12 -- -- -- 27thth -- -- -- KAS Officers & Announcements........ p. 13 PM: Pollux upper right of Moon. www.kasonline.org Kalamazoo Astronomical Society presents Presented by Dr. Kirk Korista Associate Professor of Astronomy Western Michigan University Since the release of the Hubble Deep Field image in January 1996, astronomers have made great leaps toward piecing together the early history and evolution of our universe. As they peer through space with their telescopes, they also peer back in time. As more light is gathered and sharper images come into view, we are beginning to see the history of the cosmos play out. The cosmic microwave background radiation is a relic of the early smooth hot/ dense 'soup' that was our universe some 400,000 years after its expansion began. Some 14 billion years later, our universe is anything but smooth, with planets, stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and super clusters of galaxies having condensed out of the expanding, cooling and now extremely tenuous soup. How did that happen? With big telescopes astronomers are getting their first glimpse of the era of galaxy formation. Future astronomers may have the chance to image the very first star clusters to form! What were the conditions of the early universe which ultimately led to the formation of the first stars? What were the properties of these stars? How did galaxies form and then grow? Dr. Korista will present what is known (and yet unknown) about these and related questions. Friday, February 2, 7:00 p.m. Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center Located on the fourth floor of Old Central High School Use Dutton Street Entrance For more information please visit our web site: www.kasonline.org JanuaryJanuary MeetingMeeting MinutesMinutes The general meeting of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Huygens turned to mechanics after a visit to the newly was brought to order by President Richard Bell on Friday, formed Royal Society in 1661. He studied falling bodies in a January 5, 2007 at 7:16 pm. Approximately 47 members and vacuum in 1665, elastic collisions in 1668, and the inverse- guests were in attendance at the Kalamazoo Area Math & square proportion of gravity in 1669. Huygens again Science Center (KAMSC). switched his focus back to light. He made discoveries in the wave behavior of light, double refraction, and interference. The feature presentation of the evening was given by six-time Huygens finished his scientific career by examining the two KAS President and KAMSC teacher Mike Sinclair. Mike great unanswered questions of his time. He wrote about life continued his biographical lecture series with a talk entitled in the universe in 1681 (still a mystery today) and then again Second Only to Newton: The Life and Works of Christiaan worked on measuring longitude at sea in 1682. Huygens. Born on April 14, 1629, Christiaan was the second child of Constantijn Huygens and Suzanna van Baerle. Huy- Mike then discussed some of the key figures Huygens met gens was home schooled until the age of 16. Mike explained with during his lifetime. These include John Wallis (1661), that Huygens read heavily because his father would con- Robert Boyle (1661), Robert Hooke (1663), Gottfried Leibniz stantly quiz him at the dinner table. (1672), and finally Sir Isaac Newton himself (1689). Mike said Huygens and Newton met privately three times in a two Huygens attended school at the University of Leiden and the week period, each meeting lasting several hours. It is not College of Orange at Breda. At first he studied law and logic, known what they discussed. It became clear from the letters but soon moved into science and mathe- they exchanged that Huygens was perhaps matics. Huygens first work was in mathe- the only person Newton considered a matics. He made major discoveries in peer. Mike said that Huygens would be circular motion (1651), geometry (1654), better known today if he had not lived in probability theory (1657), and derivatives the same era as Newton. (1658). This was followed with an inter- est in optics. Huygens developed an im- After the snack break, Richard presented a proved lens grinding technique, improved very special gift to Mike Sinclair for his the Leeuwenhoek microscope, and con- many excellent presentations and years of structed his own two-lens compound mi- service to the KAS. It was an original croscope. He also invented more power- Darth Vader profile trading card from The ful astronomical eyepieces, which are still Empire Strikes Back series. This card has in use today (albeit only on department been in Richard’s private collection for store telescopes). nearly 27 years. (If you haven’t guessed, Mike is a big Darth Vader fan. Visit his Huygens built his own telescopes and office and classroom at KAMSC some- used them to make many fundamental time for proof.) discoveries. He discovered Titan, satellite of Saturn, and in 1655 discovered that Saturn has rings that Richard then presented the very first “Member of the Year” no where touched the planet. Galileo thought Saturn’s rings award to Jean DeMott. Roger Williams suggested honoring were some sort of “earlobe-like” feature. Huygens was also Jean in some way for her fund raising efforts with the plant the first to realize that Saturn’s rings were not solid, but made sale, so the Board decided to create this award and make her of separate particles. He was the first to observe the Orion the very first recipient. Jean has done much more for the Nebula in 1659. In fact, the bright region surrounding the KAS since she joined in 1997, so the award was well de- Trapezium stars is still called the Huygens Region today. In served. Richard then continued with his president’s report. 1661, Huygens observed dark nebulae and double stars for He reminded everyone to renew their membership and intro- the first time. He was the first to coin the term “double star”. duced the 2007 KAS Officers and At-Large board members. It was around this time that Huygens made the first of his Several members reported observing the Geminid Meteor many discoveries in physics. He studied pendulum motion in Shower and the northern lights display on December 14th. 1656, which allowed him to build his first pendulum clock in Unfortunately, there were no observing reports of Comet 1659 This led to the development of the spring regulated McNaught due to the typical west Michigan winter cloud clock in 1660 and the couple pendulum clock in 1663. The cover (see pages 5 & 6). We then covered upcoming events, purpose of building better time keeping devices was to solve including another installment of Full Moon Theater on Janu- th the longitude problem, which was of major concern to 17th ary 26 . Richard then asked (begged!) for Prime Focus arti- century maritime power, Holland. cles. The meeting concluded at 9:05 pm. Prime Focus Page 3 February 2007 and of what should be included in a grant application to the Kellogg Foundation that Richard is considering. Roger re- ported that Molly Williams has volunteered to help with the Board Meeting Minutes grant writing. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m., with the next meeting set for February 11th. The KAS Board met at 5:00 pm on January 14, 2007 at Sun- Respectfully submitted by Roger Williams nyside Church. Present were Richard Bell, Dick Gillespie, Rich Mather, Dan Morgan, Jack Price, Dave Woolf, and Roger Williams. Rich Mather presented the Treasurer’s Report, including a cash flow report for the whole year 2006. Receipts for the year exceeded expenditures by $557.85. Current assets were for Amateur Astronomers $6,584.93, but this value will be increased by a number of membership renewals received but not yet deposited and by a 1. Thou shalt have no white light before thee, behind thee, $1,000 Pfizer grant obtained by Jean DeMott. or to the side of thee whilst sharing the night sky with thy fellow stargazers. In the category of January events, Full Moon Theater plans th 2. Thou shalt not love thy telescope more than thy spouse were set for January 26 , with DVD’s on hand for the pro- or thy children; as much as, maybe, but not more.
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